Two Boys, One Heart
by Lipslikefire
Summary: Pre-Catching Fire. Peeta has died, but his heart still lives on in the body of Dakota Herrings. Will Katniss get over her irrational anger towards him? Can she find it in her to love again? Not for the weak-hearted. Contains mature themes.
1. Pain

**What if Peeta had died? And instead of Katniss running back into Gale's arms, Katniss became secluded, and broke off from her friends and family? What if Peeta's heart had been used in a heart transplant? Will Katniss feel betrayed? How will Peeta's heart affect Dakota, the boy whose life was saved by Peeta's heart? Read on and you'll see for yourself. Be warned, this story is not for the weak-hearted. I hope you all like it.**

Katniss looked wearily at the boy. There was nothing about him physically that resembled Peeta, but she could sense within him the spark of Peeta Mellark. She knew his name- Dakota. But she didn't want to become close to him. In her viewpoint, Dakota had stolen Peeta's life, and she hated him for it. Katniss knew her hatred of Dakota was uncalled for. Dakota had done nothing to deserve Katniss' anger, and deep inside, Katniss knew it. Still, she wanted nothing to do with him. Katniss was afraid of what she might do if she so much as heard the boy speak. The heart inside him- belonged in Peeta Mellark's chest, not in this boy's strange, weak body.

It happened so quickly. Peeta had been in the bakery, insisting on seeing it one last time, though he didn't need to bake anymore because of his status as Victor of the 74th Hunger Games. When Katniss heard the wail of the hovercars, she ran outside. But by the time she reached Peeta, it was too late. He had already suffered great brain damage when his head smacked the corner of the unforgiving metal stove. In his will, Peeta dictated that his organs be donated. And it just so happened that Dakota Herring was finally at the top of the organ transplant recipient list, and he was in dire need of a heart transplant. So, Peeta's heart, the one that used to flutter every time Katniss walked by, was put inside this fragile soul.

Katniss walked through town, avoiding the sorrowful stares of the townspeople. What a poor, unfortunate girl they must think she was. She pulled the string of her black velvet cloak tighter around her neck, as she walked to the house that was once Peeta's.

Peeta's grave was right behind his house. Katniss went there every day, and she cried until she couldn't muster another tear. She screamed at the terrible irony of the world- why did he survive the Games, only to die a few short days later? She pounded her fists into the rocky ground, and even when her knuckles turned ghost white and began to bleed, she didn't stop. She wanted to feel something other than the absence of Peeta. She pulled at the hair on her head. She only ate when Gale made her come inside. She would then stare blankly into the fire, talking quietly to herself.

Katniss stumbled into her house in Victor's Village. She saw Haymitch at the table, seemingly sober.

"Hey, Sweetheart. Care for a cup of tea?" Haymitch asked. Katniss didn't want to speak; she merely shook her head. She ran upstairs and locked her door, despite Haymitch's protests. She took the bottle of vodka from under her bed and took a few burning sips. It didn't taste good, but Katniss continued drinking. Dakota's laughter haunted her. It was Peeta's laugh who should be ringing in her ears, not Dakota's.

The numbness that came with being drunk was worth it. It meant forgetting about Peeta and Dakota. It meant Peeta wasn't really dead. It meant that she could be with Peeta again. Katniss wouldn't hesitate; she would trade Dakota's life for Peeta's in a heartbeat. Dakota couldn't know the pain that Peeta's heart had gone through. Katniss finished the bottle, a strange warmth spreading throughout her body. The vodka acted as a potent poison; suddenly, Peeta was standing in front of her.

"Peety, Dance with me." Katniss slurred, speaking to a Peeta who wasn't really there. She took his invisible hands and danced until she fell on her bed, a smile spreading across her face. She was happy, for now. Until she woke up and remembered who she was and where she was.

Her dreams were pleasant. Peeta was there. And he was sitting on a hill, with a loaf of freshly baked bread in his hands.

Katniss tackled him to the ground. "Peeta! Did you bake that bread for me?"

"Of course, baby! It's your favorite-pumpernickel."Peeta broke it in two and handed a piece to Katniss, who picked off a warm wisp and stuck it in her mouth, grinning in pleasure.

"It's delicious," She mumbled around the chewy bread.

Peeta smiled, and took a bite himself. His perfect golden hair framed his beautiful blue eyes. They shone brighter every time Katniss smiled, laughed, and especially when Katniss spoke his name in her beautiful, melodic voice. . Katniss lay down next to Peeta, and they looked at the constantly changing clouds in the bright, blue sky. The sun shone down on the happy couple. The sun itself seemed to smile as though it to was happy for the two star-crossed lovers who cuddled against one another.

"Look," Peeta said, pointing to a cloud in the sky. "It looks like a heart."

"Hmm," Katniss replied, resting her head on Peeta's chest. _Thump, thump, thump._ His heart would always be her heart, just as hers would always be his. She loved the sound of it.

Suddenly Peeta started fading, and becoming opaque. Katniss sat up, and looked down at him, confused.

"I love you Katniss. But I'm not alive anymore. You can visit me in your imagination." Peeta said, his intense blue eyes losing their life with every passing second. His blonde hair was losing its shine, and Katniss could barely feel his fingers anymore. "But you can't try to live here with me."

"No, Peeta! Don't leave me!" Katniss wailed. Afraid that this vision would fade and soon she would never be able to recall the sound of Peeta's voice, and all the other small details. Why was he leaving? Of course. Even in Dreamworld, reality had found yet another way to remind Katniss of what she had lost.

The dream ended when Peeta was swallowed up by the air. Katniss' eyes flew open. Everything from the past few days came rushing back into her mind- Dakota, Peeta, and scattered memories, all accompanied by a raging headache. Katniss struggled to capture the details of the dream before they faded and the dream lost its meaning.

"Peeta," Katniss whispered into her pillow.

**Well, this is one of the deeper, sadder stories I've written. So Peeta died, and now his heart is in Dakota's body. Will Katniss continue with her anger towards him? Or will she learn to trust him? Only time will tell. They say time heals all wounds, but what if this one is too deep? Thanks for reading, and remember to leave a review holding all your thoughts! :D And remember, I am my own beta, so, yea.**

**~Fire**


	2. Do you care?

**A/N: Hey, guys! It's been super hectic over here, and I had to delete two of my stories. Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, I felt like updating, so here's my update. **

Dakota Herring POV:

I don't know what it is about her. I've never seen her before in my life. But this new heart knew her. Her name is Katniss. I've tried to approach her, to get a conversation going, but she looks at me with such hatred and distaste that I quickly shut my mouth.

I didn't learn about Katniss' role in the annual Hunger Games until recently. Then, everything seemed to fall into place. Peeta Mellark, the baker's son, and Katniss Everdeen were the two chosen tributes of District 12. They cheated the Games, keeping their lives. But when Peeta insisted on visiting the bakery one last time, despite Katniss' protests, he died in a horrible freak accident. He suffered great brain injury, but his heart was left unaffected. It just so happened I needed a heart. Peeta and I were only 4 months apart in age; the doctor's told me Peeta's heart was perfect for me.

Now, Katniss won't speak to me. It's probably because she thinks I'm the reason for Peeta's untimely death. Is it my fault? Not directly. But Katniss wouldn't let me explain. In her eyes, I was the murderer.

I sit in my house, staring out the window. The weather matches my mood: gray, dark, and cheerless. My mother and father died in a mine accident a few years back. I wasn't close to either of them. I have no siblings. I sigh and get up, gazing mournfully at my shirtless chest. I trail my left hand over the scar that travels down my breastbone. If only this heart was still pumping life through Peeta, and not me, Katniss would surely be happier.

Why did God give me a second chance at living, only to make me suffer more than I had when I needed a heart transplant?

I force myself to take the little blue pill that helps regulate my foreign heart out of its container. Without it, my body might reject this heart.

"I wouldn't want to die, would I?" I ask myself humorlessly. I take a glass down from my cupboards, and fill it with water. I hold the pill in my shaking hand. This is it. I can take it, and continue living, or throw it into the sink, and die a painful death. Maybe death would be better than this. My heart ached, but not because my body was rejecting Peeta's heart. It hurt for a different reason. What's the use in living, if you don't want to?

A knock at the door jarred me from my dark thoughts.

"Come in." I say, not turning towards the door.

I hear the creak of the door swinging on its hinges. A gust of cold wind floods in the house. I hear the person move into the house, and close the door.

The person either was shy, or didn't want to talk to me. I turned around. Katniss stood at the door with a flat expression.

"What do you want?" I say.

She moves towards me, and I see she has a bag in her hands. "Mrs. Hawthorne suggested I come here and give these to you." She says, throwing the bag onto the counter.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Food. Rabbits and squirrels." She replies.

"Hmm."

She notices the pill container. She takes it and reads it. Then she looks down and sees the blue tablet still on the counter, next to the glass of water.

"Aren't you supposed to take that? It says you should take it every day at 4:00, and it's 4:30. Doesn't it help keep you alive?" She says, still with a flat expression.

"Yes, I'm supposed to. But I can't." I say, turning away.

"Why?" Katniss asks, a thread of emotion leaking into her voice.

"I shouldn't be alive. Peeta should still be here, with you. I can't keep living." I say, feeling the tears coming. I blink rapidly, hoping to expel them, but it doesn't work. They cascaded unperturbed down my face.

Katniss moves closer to me. "Take it. Peeta would want you to keep living." She says, sighing and handing me the pill.

"But do you want me to? You hate me. I can see it in your eyes. If it weren't for Mrs. Hawthorne, you wouldn't be here. What does it matter to you if I die?" I say, forcing my tears into disappearance.

"I do hate you. There's no use in denying it. Peeta _should _be alive. He should be right next to me. Instead, it's _his _heart that's in _your _chest right now, when it should be the other way around. But you need to take that pill. Peeta wouldn't want his heart to be wasted." She says, looking me clear in the eyes.

The fact that she admitted she hated me struck me hard. I took a deep breath, not wanting the tears to come again. "And we're right back where we started. You _still_ haven't answered the question. Do. You. Care. If. I Die?" I say, enunciating each word clearly.

Katniss shoves the pill at me. "Yes. It's what Peeta would want." She says, walking away from me. She opens the door, glances at me one last time, and then she's gone.

It's what Peeta would want? I wasn't asking if Peeta cared if I lived or died. I was asking if Katniss cared. She said she did right before she left, but why? Why did she care if I lived or died?

I contemplated this while I swallowed the blue capsule. I took a swig of water, and walked into my room. I flopped onto my bed. The last thing I thought about consciously was Katniss. But I knew her thoughts were aimed at another man, not me. I didn't know what tomorrow would bring. But I would do whatever it took to see Katniss again. Some people say love at first sight is a myth. But ever since I laid eyes on Katniss, I knew she was the only one for me. But would she ever feel the same towards me?

**A/N: What did you guys think? Poor Dakota, he almost killed himself. **** And keep in mind, I'm my own beta. Sorry for any misspellings, or grammar mistakes.**

**~Fire**


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